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Tender Delirium
Tender Delirium is Tania De Rozario's first collection of poetry and short prose. It brings together (but is not limited to) estranged lovers, despairing mothers and the avenging spirits of murdered women, in an assortment of words that celebrate queer desire, obsessive longing and a general disregard for "proper" subject matter. Comprising selected work written over the course of a decade, the largely confessional collection has been described as dark and hysterical ... but in a good way.
116 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 2013
2 people are currently reading
177 people want to read
About the author
Tania De Rozario
18 books103 followersTania De Rozario is a writer and visual artist. She is the author of four books. Her latest collection, Dinner on Monster Island (Harper Perennial, 2024), has been described as “sharp and searing” (Ms. Magazine), “unique” (Publishers Weekly), “a book with resonance” (Kirkus Reviews), "taut and riveting" (LA Times), "elegant", "droll" and "magnetic" (British Columbia Review).
She is also the author of Tender Delirium (2013, Math Paper Press), And The Walls Come Crumbling Down (2016, Math Paper Press / 2020, Gaudy Boy), and Somewhere Else, Another You (2018, Math Paper Press).
Tania’s writing has won the New Ohio Review Nonfiction Contest (2020) and the Muriel Craft Bailey Poetry Contest (2021), has been a finalist at the Lambda Literary Awards (2021) and has been published in journals/anthologies across four continents. Her art has been showcased in Singapore, Europe and the US. She has written widely about art, with a focus on Singapore and Southeast Asia, and has also worked as an adjunct, teaching at the UBC School of Creative Writing (Canada, 2021-2023) and across faculties at Lasalle College of the Arts (Singapore, 2006-2018).
She is also the author of Tender Delirium (2013, Math Paper Press), And The Walls Come Crumbling Down (2016, Math Paper Press / 2020, Gaudy Boy), and Somewhere Else, Another You (2018, Math Paper Press).
Tania’s writing has won the New Ohio Review Nonfiction Contest (2020) and the Muriel Craft Bailey Poetry Contest (2021), has been a finalist at the Lambda Literary Awards (2021) and has been published in journals/anthologies across four continents. Her art has been showcased in Singapore, Europe and the US. She has written widely about art, with a focus on Singapore and Southeast Asia, and has also worked as an adjunct, teaching at the UBC School of Creative Writing (Canada, 2021-2023) and across faculties at Lasalle College of the Arts (Singapore, 2006-2018).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
August 13, 2016
after i finished reading the last poem of this book (i was in bed), i sunk into my pillow & said "wow that was good" The first poem in the book:
What You Are
I want to write you a poem that unravels
from the gut, hurls itself towards you
like a slap across the mouth. Let my words
unleash themselves upon you like dogs
looking for a fight, like seeds bursting
from overripe pods. let every vowel
explode in your face like cruel laughter,
every consonant pronounce itself like
death into your ear, every comma
trip up your speech, every full-stop
prevent you from finding your way
home. I hope you were not expecting
sweet nothings, loves songs, cherished
cliches; the heart that triumphs over
adversity, finds strength in the adoring
eyes of a child, realises that we are
not so different after all. Surely you are
not so naive, not thinking I am going to turn
this into some love poem, waxing lyrical
about secrets whispered between sweethearts,
or about hands held on crowded trains
at dawn. Or about you, as if you take root
at the base of my spine, fingers climbing
each vertebra one by one. This is not
some ode with your name on it. I want
to write you a poem that drives a bullet
through your beliefs, plagues you
with your own reflection, smashes every
illusion like bricks through a window
pane; let it stir the birds in your chest
so hard they burst through your flesh
in a spectacle of sound and despair. I
want to write you a poem that lingers
on your breath like cigarettes, stings
your eyes like salt, a finger pointing
unflinchingly: this is what you are
_
It's a good start to her book because not only does she set the tone, she gives you a sort of matric to understand her poems. She wants us to be moved; to be forcefully thrown into her poems & then into ourselves. We must be emotionally implicated. Her words she sets to us like dogs, every vowel explodes in our face, etc etc. Already, we see how the decentered self ("... every comma trip up your speech, every full-stop prevent you from finding your way home") is also ironically the locus of finding our true Self ("a finger pointing unflinchingly: this is what you are).
If Alfian Sa'at's poems in The Invisible Manuscript, as I described in a previous review, show that identity formation or realization is a discursive discourse or process, Tania De Rozario's Tender Delirium shows us how identity formation can come from a painful & bewildering process of confronting, questioning, testing & even crossing boundaries. Constantly she'll disrupt our expectations through the structure of poems (she's amazing with this!). She will shatter cliches ("I hope you were not expecting sweet nothings, loves songs"), present moments where stereotypes are confronted, where lines are blurred and situations where one is so disarmed with unfamiliarity & so removed from their comfort zones. Every self-constructed barrier & mask you put up in social situations, every subconscious lie you tell yourself is peeled away & you are left only with your true self, raw, vulnerable & naked.
In fact, perhaps it's not so much about identity formation as identity realization. Our self is already inside us. So what is left is a sort of anamnesis; realizing or recalling knowledge that we already know. Like a midwife, she shows us how we can go through this process of recollection. She shows us how she bled, which wounds she kept open so that the light will always get in and the assurance that this emotional & psychological violence has a tender, fulfilling reward -- knowledge of who we truly are. After writing that last line, I just realized how apt the title "Tender Delirium" is.
What You Are
I want to write you a poem that unravels
from the gut, hurls itself towards you
like a slap across the mouth. Let my words
unleash themselves upon you like dogs
looking for a fight, like seeds bursting
from overripe pods. let every vowel
explode in your face like cruel laughter,
every consonant pronounce itself like
death into your ear, every comma
trip up your speech, every full-stop
prevent you from finding your way
home. I hope you were not expecting
sweet nothings, loves songs, cherished
cliches; the heart that triumphs over
adversity, finds strength in the adoring
eyes of a child, realises that we are
not so different after all. Surely you are
not so naive, not thinking I am going to turn
this into some love poem, waxing lyrical
about secrets whispered between sweethearts,
or about hands held on crowded trains
at dawn. Or about you, as if you take root
at the base of my spine, fingers climbing
each vertebra one by one. This is not
some ode with your name on it. I want
to write you a poem that drives a bullet
through your beliefs, plagues you
with your own reflection, smashes every
illusion like bricks through a window
pane; let it stir the birds in your chest
so hard they burst through your flesh
in a spectacle of sound and despair. I
want to write you a poem that lingers
on your breath like cigarettes, stings
your eyes like salt, a finger pointing
unflinchingly: this is what you are
_
It's a good start to her book because not only does she set the tone, she gives you a sort of matric to understand her poems. She wants us to be moved; to be forcefully thrown into her poems & then into ourselves. We must be emotionally implicated. Her words she sets to us like dogs, every vowel explodes in our face, etc etc. Already, we see how the decentered self ("... every comma trip up your speech, every full-stop prevent you from finding your way home") is also ironically the locus of finding our true Self ("a finger pointing unflinchingly: this is what you are).
If Alfian Sa'at's poems in The Invisible Manuscript, as I described in a previous review, show that identity formation or realization is a discursive discourse or process, Tania De Rozario's Tender Delirium shows us how identity formation can come from a painful & bewildering process of confronting, questioning, testing & even crossing boundaries. Constantly she'll disrupt our expectations through the structure of poems (she's amazing with this!). She will shatter cliches ("I hope you were not expecting sweet nothings, loves songs"), present moments where stereotypes are confronted, where lines are blurred and situations where one is so disarmed with unfamiliarity & so removed from their comfort zones. Every self-constructed barrier & mask you put up in social situations, every subconscious lie you tell yourself is peeled away & you are left only with your true self, raw, vulnerable & naked.
In fact, perhaps it's not so much about identity formation as identity realization. Our self is already inside us. So what is left is a sort of anamnesis; realizing or recalling knowledge that we already know. Like a midwife, she shows us how we can go through this process of recollection. She shows us how she bled, which wounds she kept open so that the light will always get in and the assurance that this emotional & psychological violence has a tender, fulfilling reward -- knowledge of who we truly are. After writing that last line, I just realized how apt the title "Tender Delirium" is.
July 16, 2017
What is more important in poetry, head or heart? Someone once asked on Facebook, referring to mastery of technique and depth of emotion. One of the replies said something to the effect of "Head, everyone has heart." I begged to differ then, and still do -- poetry without heart is just vain display, purposeless, the opposite of De Rozario's collection which is filled with the urgency and desperation of excellent poetry. And not everyone has that, especially those who are too comfortable. Tender Delirium has to be read at one go; the rush of rise and fall will propel you breathless through every succeeding poem, calling back to mind forgotten loves and hurt.
March 13, 2017
the book started pretty strong for me. i really liked what you are. then it somehow lost me along the way. some of her prose were alienating. not necessarily bec they were badly written, but because they were from a diff voice. a voice i do recall appreciating before. but now, im looking for a very specific tone. this just wasnt it
September 17, 2025
so starkly sapphic and desirous and embodied. would have changed my life as a teenager. needs to come back into print :(
"I doubt God's will informs her of how I will not be coming back. I am returning home to my lover."
"I doubt God's will informs her of how I will not be coming back. I am returning home to my lover."
July 21, 2014
I'm wavering between two opinions of De Rozario's poems - one of them being introspectively honest; one of them being somewhat repetitive and uninspiring. I guess at many points in this collection it's not easy to differentiate the two feelings evoked. While some of the poems did strike me as rather poignant with fresh imagery, at times De Rozario's writing came across as a little elusive (much like Cyril Wong's poetry - good control of diction and rhythm but as a reader it's not easy to identify with the personal nature of content). I got a little bored into the second section "Between Two Points" when the poems shifted from musings about external events to somewhat abstract ruminations about love and loss - understandably a major theme to feature in many confessional poets' writing, but nonetheless it's difficult for this subject matter to be presented in an entirely fresh and original way.
But the way all the poems were pulled together as a collection was quite nice; I like how in the third section "Returning Home", poems (although still about love and loss) managed to elevate the imagery from the usual fare of heartbreak to the more subtle yet relatable imagery of movement/travel/leaving. I think the poems in that section are my favourite, especially the last two poems "Shortest Distance" and "Returning Home", where the idea of love/losing love is one that is tied together with many other themes - sexual identity, religion, social acceptance and the idea of rootedness. Which for me really worked because the perspective of the poem's narrator seems to expand, making the poems acquire more nuances than those in preceding sections.
But the way all the poems were pulled together as a collection was quite nice; I like how in the third section "Returning Home", poems (although still about love and loss) managed to elevate the imagery from the usual fare of heartbreak to the more subtle yet relatable imagery of movement/travel/leaving. I think the poems in that section are my favourite, especially the last two poems "Shortest Distance" and "Returning Home", where the idea of love/losing love is one that is tied together with many other themes - sexual identity, religion, social acceptance and the idea of rootedness. Which for me really worked because the perspective of the poem's narrator seems to expand, making the poems acquire more nuances than those in preceding sections.
July 20, 2014
This is a pure, undiluted confessional poetry collection centred very much on the self. If you're looking for raw, explicit poetry this is the book for you.
Like all poetry collections there were brilliant hits and some misses. I really liked 'watching flowers grow', how readers are eased from a modest-looking title into an ocean of heartbreak and angst.
Four stars to credit Rozario's excellent stylistic techniques - her line breaks in especial are very well-placed and thought-provoking. One star missing because...I have yet to reconcile my liking for this transparency, this depth into a very small window of her life. Nevertheless I'll be looking out for Rozario's poetry in the future.
"Does distance multiply desire? Or does desire multiply distance?"
Like all poetry collections there were brilliant hits and some misses. I really liked 'watching flowers grow', how readers are eased from a modest-looking title into an ocean of heartbreak and angst.
Four stars to credit Rozario's excellent stylistic techniques - her line breaks in especial are very well-placed and thought-provoking. One star missing because...I have yet to reconcile my liking for this transparency, this depth into a very small window of her life. Nevertheless I'll be looking out for Rozario's poetry in the future.
"Does distance multiply desire? Or does desire multiply distance?"
February 27, 2025
I was so obsessed with the writing style of this author. The way she wrote her poetry wasn’t following the style of the norms of writing poetry which made me feel inspired to open up my writing style. The poetries were separated into three categories which were beautifully categorised. Each piece was beautifully written. I kept rereading the lines of each poem because of how brilliant it was placed. I also found myself analysing the poetry so much while reading it. It took me less than a month to complete but longer than I hoped for just because I kept analysing the poems which took up a lot of brain power so it got a little tiring halfway reading.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 11, 2021
From my instagram @onebookonecountry
Quarantine book #3
@_tania.de.rozario_ 's poetry is sensual, beautiful but uncomfortable and thats what makes it great.
You are greeted by the words
"I want to write you a poem that unravels
from the gut, hurls itself towards you
like a slap across the mouth. Let my words
..."
and it continues to set very clear expectations of what is to come. And it doesn't let you down.
This edition is from @booksactually 's #MathPaperPress
For more #SingLit go to #onebookSingapore
#onebookAsia
#QuarantineReading
Quarantine book #3
@_tania.de.rozario_ 's poetry is sensual, beautiful but uncomfortable and thats what makes it great.
You are greeted by the words
"I want to write you a poem that unravels
from the gut, hurls itself towards you
like a slap across the mouth. Let my words
..."
and it continues to set very clear expectations of what is to come. And it doesn't let you down.
This edition is from @booksactually 's #MathPaperPress
For more #SingLit go to #onebookSingapore
#onebookAsia
#QuarantineReading
March 6, 2019
Loss and heartbreak are the main themes of the book. It made me feel heavy and light at the same time. I can best compare the book to an open wound: raw, bloody, messy, uncensored, naked and tender to the touch. I liked how the first poem “what you are” set the tone for the rest of the book - it is not meant to make you feel comfortable, it is meant to make you feel all sorts of things, just like love in all realness.
March 24, 2019
First poetry book I've read from Singapore, recommended by my friend Megan. Enjoyed the confessional tone and raw expository writing style. Editing this after I've read another book by another author. Tania's style of writing is clear, opinionated and doesn't leave you hanging. There are strong parts within certain pieces which I love yet I'm unable to find a piece which I felt was impressive as a whole. Excited to read her other works
September 24, 2021
I don't have much to say other than it was stunning, if a little repetitive - but the prose is deeply impactful and lyrical. My reading of the anthology was spread out over a month so I have quite a scattered experience of the anthology, but my favourites remain What You Are, Watching Flowers Grow, Without You, and The Shortest Distance.
Beautiful queer poetry that's definitely worth the read!
Beautiful queer poetry that's definitely worth the read!
March 30, 2025
i’ve owned this book for a long while but never quite sat down to read it until today. i did read it all in one shot, though, so that should say something, as i almost never read anything all in one go. this hit me hard. de rozario touches upon something regarding the spaces in between us in the process of desire and the way terrain moves even if we don’t — even when we do. i will be thinking about this for a while…
November 27, 2017
This book is honest, brutally so, but above all, it is beautiful. It is beautiful in the way that it demands to be read, by it's ice cold verse and it's manipulation of reality, it demands to be felt. Tender Delirium is a force to be reckoned with and it screams with personality and delivers heartfelt messages with the same pen that strikes down with merciless candor.
Absolutely Great read!
Absolutely Great read!
April 19, 2019
I’ve always love poetry books written by different authors about the perspective that they have towards life, love, family and etc ..
And tender delirium is the first poetry book that i have read from tania ,it gives me the feel to keep on reading to know more of what she has written and i will definitely read her second book
And tender delirium is the first poetry book that i have read from tania ,it gives me the feel to keep on reading to know more of what she has written and i will definitely read her second book
June 8, 2019
This was AMAZING; finished it in half an hour or so. WORTH EVERY DOLLAR.
November 17, 2020
Beautiful, short book that bridges intimacy and brutality with the everyday. Many of the poems read like spoken word, and that level of tonal approachability is refreshing.
June 5, 2024
Gut wrenching in all the right ways. Probably one of my favourite poetry collections.
July 25, 2017
Re-reading this one just so I could connect with my feelings again.
My favorite piece would have to be "Goodbye" and "Un-".
My favorite piece would have to be "Goodbye" and "Un-".
October 28, 2024
Beautiful written and rather thoughtful. Tania’s use of the language is immaculate and refreshing. Somewhat relatable and definitely a good read!
June 2, 2021
It is very much just a stereotype, but often we have the impression of poetry as soothing, grass bank river flowing, bright moon in the sky. But this is a different beast altogether. Tender Delirium is explosive, akin to of setting off a grenade inside you and chronicling the blood and guts, rage against the machine style.
Tania compiles a mixture of prose and poetry, charting childhood memories and trauma alongside love and loss. "Stuff your jellybean kisses back into your pockets," she says, unapologetic. In others, she details the bitter tang of regret that stays with you through the years. "No rewind button for the soul, no second chance for the petty player, no backup plan for those who risk everything on nothing, all at once."
In Keep we bear witness to her complication relationship with her own craft. The act of keeping, collecting and recording can be terribly tiring and traumatic. She "tortures photos into paintings", "keep [...] time to footsteps walking away from me". It's a a chronicle of one's life, gazetted into sections, like a small town record of who's who.
There were passages in there so cutting, so poignant, powerful and human and relatable. She takes longing and memories right from the tip of her tongue, setting them down with tender precision.
Somehow Tania manages to walk that line between being honest and transparent and authentic without spelling the end of privacy. We see her personal growth through her writing, and there is a softening of attitudes towards the end. It evolves into something less chip on the shoulder and more relaxing into the arms of a lover. It is a journey of exploring identity, finding love and relationships, loss, reconciliation, coming home and leaving forever.
Tania compiles a mixture of prose and poetry, charting childhood memories and trauma alongside love and loss. "Stuff your jellybean kisses back into your pockets," she says, unapologetic. In others, she details the bitter tang of regret that stays with you through the years. "No rewind button for the soul, no second chance for the petty player, no backup plan for those who risk everything on nothing, all at once."
In Keep we bear witness to her complication relationship with her own craft. The act of keeping, collecting and recording can be terribly tiring and traumatic. She "tortures photos into paintings", "keep [...] time to footsteps walking away from me". It's a a chronicle of one's life, gazetted into sections, like a small town record of who's who.
There were passages in there so cutting, so poignant, powerful and human and relatable. She takes longing and memories right from the tip of her tongue, setting them down with tender precision.
Somehow Tania manages to walk that line between being honest and transparent and authentic without spelling the end of privacy. We see her personal growth through her writing, and there is a softening of attitudes towards the end. It evolves into something less chip on the shoulder and more relaxing into the arms of a lover. It is a journey of exploring identity, finding love and relationships, loss, reconciliation, coming home and leaving forever.
"When you leave, the sun will shine on us at different times."
September 23, 2020
Tania De Rozario’s writing is potent. And that’s not a simple matter of word choice. She uses searing metaphors to illustrate the pain of love and loss with brutal honesty. Don’t be fooled by the word ‘Tender’ in the title. The only thing tender here are raw wounds. Sometimes I wonder why confessional poets do this to themselves. Then again, if they don’t, we won’t have such wrenching poetry. Thanks for writing this, Tania!
October 4, 2013
The ease of elegance and grace exhibited in this poetry collection is quite simply breathtaking, to the point that it looks almost as if it were effortlessly innate. Thoroughly enjoyed this book for its exuberance of emotions.
June 11, 2014
Rozario's poems were written in a style that I have never seen before that goes deep into the heart, if not the soul. Her poems had the ability of reaching you, the intensity and emotions all with it. One of the best poetry collection I've ever laid eyes on.
November 25, 2014
Ah! This was so beautiful to read. Every few passages that I read led me to pause, feel the spine-tingles, and breathe out. It's just incredibly beautiful poetry. I would love to hear it recited, and to whisper it in the dark to a lover. Hm.
July 31, 2013
Bold and fearless and utterly compelling in its confessional intensity. Simply astounding. Tania De Rozario is absolutely a poet to watch; I can't wait to see what she comes up with next.
March 21, 2015
Honest and felt. Tania is a voice to watch.
November 10, 2015
raw and intense. my absolute favourite local collection.
December 17, 2015
I loved this.
January 20, 2016
explosion of glass and vibrancy
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews